Embarrassed by increasing number of corruption cases involving civil servants, the cabinet secretary has sent a note to all chief secretaries and secretaries in central ministries and departments to stay vigilant and take stringent action against officers found guilty.
KM Chandrasekhar wants all disciplinary proceedings against erring officers to be expedited, so that the issue of corruption is addressed “fairly and squarely”.
A total of 54 vigilance cases against all India service officers were registered in 2009. Of these, 35 were against IAS, 10 against IPS and 9 against IFS officers. In 2008, the numbers were 38, 8 and 4.
“Of late, there have been disturbing incidents which call for serious introspection by civil servants. It is important that we ponder over the manner in which we discharge our duties and fulfill our responsibilities and what we need to do to refurbish our image,” Chandrasekhar said.
He said since civil servants were appointed on the basis of a fair and open competition, they must respond in full measure to the faith that citizens repose in them and meet people’s hopes and aspirations of good governance. “Integrity, honesty, objectivity, impartiality, transparency, accountability and devotion to duty are the core valueswhich civil servants should cherish and which should form an integral part of our decisions and actions. The issue of corruption needs to be addressed fairly and squarely.”
He stressed the government’s policy of zero tolerance to corruption must be implemented fully and effectively.
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